ST HOUR - Winston Churchill

Churchill Memorial Trust, continued...In the choice of the annual categories and in the finalselection of Fellows, the Council is alert to the originalintentions of the Trust that awards should bemade to men and women from all walks of life. A certainpriority will always be accorded to those to whoman award represents "The Chance of a Lifetime/' andwho have the requisite character, enterprise, and personality,especially with regard to their worth as"ambassadors" representing their country and travellingin the name of Sir Winston. On average,Fellowships last eight weeks and the average grant iscurrently £5550 ($8800). For the 1997 awards, the averageage was 38, and the balance between men andwomen was equal. To illustrate some of this year's projectsin the United States alone:• Sam Eastop (38), from London, is studyingstrategies for managing Internet technology changeswithin educational workplaces.• Harriet Festing (31), from Kent, is visitingFarmers Markets to learn about their role in small-scalerural businesses.• Juliet Grace (29), from South Yorkshire, visitsvarious National Parks to appreciate the legislativeimplications of countryside access for disabled people.• Peter French (41), a police officer from Essex, isinterested in the inter-agency approach to coping withdrug abuse and young offenders.Fellows are expected to disseminate the results oftheir projects and, to concentrate minds, the Trustinsists (as part of the initial "contract") on a writtenreport on each Fellowship, to be submitted within sixmonths of return from overseas. Submission of thereport is an essential requirement for the award of thesilver Churchill Medallion—and, thus, attendance atthe biennial Medallion Ceremony in London's prestigiousGuildhall. Fellows are encouraged to distributetheir reports to interested parties, and to give talks orlectures, write articles and/or, in some cases, publishbooks.Not widely known is the fact that Fellows of theMemorial Trust have twice linked up with Members ofthe International Churchill Society. This occurred on ontwo of the biannual Churchill Tours, once in Australiain 1991, and again in England in 1992.Whilst one might think at first that members of theChurchill Center and Societies would have little in commonwith the varied disciplines represented byChurchill Fellows, such was anything but the case!Churchill Center and Society members are widely readand tend have broad interests, and the relationship isvery natural."Think for a moment of Sir Winston'sown early travels; think of the immeasurablevalue his enlarged experiencewas to him and, later, to us. I canimagine no memorial more suitablethan the gift of similar opportunitiesto those of a like spirit; opportunitieswhich they will enjoy and use in thename of Winston Churchill."—THE EARL ALEXANDER OF TUNISDuring the 1992 tour, the ICS party met withChurchill Fellows for a lunch at the MarlboroughArms in Woodstock. Many present remembera young thatcher, whose Fellowship took himto the United States to teach and describe his ancientcraft. It transpired that he had appeared on public televisionin a programme which many present had seen. Itwas fascinating to meet a man who knew so muchabout the traditional English skill of thatching and hadstudied the Seminole Indian techniques.Likewise in 1991, the Australian branch of theMemorial Trust brought the visiting ICS memberstogether with Fellows who talked about their experiencesto an enthralled audience. One of these was aphysicist who had studied the radiocarbon dating techniquesused on the famous Shroud of Turin. AnotherFellow was headed for the United States, to learn themarketing of dairy products, which he hoped to applyin Japan, where dairy products are a relativelyunknown commodity. In all these cases the mutual linkwas, of course, Sir Winston Churchill.The Trust seeks to keep Fellows in close touchwith the Trust after their Fellowships—not least,because they represent the very best form of publicity:the satisfied customer! There are fifteen regionalAssociations of Churchill Fellows, who organise meetingsand social functions as well as publicising theTrust in their localities. The Trust actively supports theAssociations, and provides some annual financial support.To keep all Fellows in touch with the Trust,whether active in an Association or not, a Newsletter isproduced "in house" twice a year.Further information about current programmes ofthe Winston Churchill Memorial Trust is available fromits offices at 15 Queen's Gate Terrace, London SW7 5PR,telephone (0171) 584-9315, Fax (0171) 581-0410, or e-mail to wcmt@dial.pipex.com. M>Sir Henry Beverley is Director General of the WinstonChurchill Memorial Trust.FINEST HOUR 96/22